1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid dispensers and more particularly to an electronically controlled fluid dispenser for delivering preset volumes of a fluid.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The process of food preparation often requires the use of measured quantities of water and other fluids. In many instances, precise measured amounts of water are required to properly prepare food items according to a specific recipe. These quantities are typically measured in cups and fractions of cups. However, when viewing international recipes, the fluid quantities are often measured according to the metric system of measurements, namely liters and fractions of liters. Water and other fluids, by their nature, are typically delivered to a food preparation location in bulk and not in convenient pre-measured volumes.
The method of measuring fluids has not changed over many decades of food preparation. In order to accurately measure these volumes of fluid, and water in particular, a food preparer utilizes a specific container designed for receiving fluids. This container may be a larger container incorporating various graduations marked thereon into which the fluid is poured from a bulk source until the level of fluid in the container reaches the marked graduation corresponding to the desired quantity. This method requires delivery of the bulk supply to be cut off at a precise moment. Otherwise, the measured quantity will be either insufficient, requiring the addition of minimal amounts to reach the desired quantity, or too great, requiring the removal of fluid from the graduated container. This iterative process can be time consuming and frustrating to the food preparer.
Alternatively, an individual container of a specific desired volume can be utilized such that the full volume of the container corresponds to the volume desired for use by the food preparer. In instances where a container of a specific quantity is not available, a combination of specific containers is often utilized to measure the desired fluid quantity. In any event, the need to pour or deliver fluid into a precise measuring vessel often results in accidental overflow of the measuring vessel with a resulting waste of food preparation ingredients and cleanup of any spillage that has occurred.
Thus what is desired is an accurate and convenient method of repetitively dispensing precise measured quantities of fluids to meet the needs of food preparation.